ASM #26 Preview

[Venomsaurus]

That may have already been the thing he "told her". If that was the case.

Good point, I hadn't considered that.

[Morgoth]

Alright, so, what are chances that it's Paul's origin story as a villain, lol?
I can already imagine some kind of meta about fans who are celebrating that his life is ruined. It's too funny and ridiculous to ignore it, lol.

[Majesty]

Paul slowly but surely getting character development as the story goes on. spoilers:

Being a Demon's son

end of spoilers that was able to become a loving father and NOT a monster already has a ring to it and has a lot that can be done with it.

That is, if they do it.

[Digifiend]

Nothing stopping the kids from coming back at any time to troll us, and it doesn't change mj's deception and character assassination at the moment is it because of the kids she is with paul? I prefer that to save her but that would mean that she has been bewitched for 4 years which reminds me of the dark hours of captain marvel and his son.

Yeah.spoilers:

The kids are why she's with him - given they vanished, they seem to literal manifestations of chains - and vanished because Rabin and Wayep were defeated. The chains are broken and she's now free of the control. But given that she genuinely loved those kids, she's going to be upset for sure.

end of spoilers

[Digifiend]

That may have already been the thing he "told her". If that was the case.

And it would explain why the kids had the last name Watson.

[Venomsaurus]

I feel there's a good chance at Paul becoming a villain. He's already checked off 3 spaces in the Potental Future Villain Bingo card.

First, he's checked off "Taken a loved one from the hero" now obviously not in the usual sense of killing said loved one, but the 'romantic steal' is also considered pretty villainous. Now obviously Paul kinda gets a pass on this one since him and MJ were in another time, just the two of them, and as I've said raising kids helps you bond with someone real fast. I'm not really inferring he's a bad guy if MJ chose to be with him. Rather, what he did does carry a villainous connotation. Like a big ol' asterisk you can't ignore. Like, it's not technically cheating BUT*

Second, if he really is spoilers:

Rabin's son, then that's a pretty big red flag. If your parent is a super villain in the Marvel U, there's a 50/50 chance you end up breaking bad as well. It also gives Paul a greater tie to Wayep, which could have him becoming the next emissary down the line. I could see that being the end of Wells big plan, we think Wayep is out with this arc but Paul is his one way back.

end of spoilers

Third, that leaked page really reads like what's meant to be a serious tragic moment. It feels like it's the setup for Paul's tragic backstory. Raised these kids for years, then watches them 'die' before his eyes. One of the reasons I don't think it's teleportation, because if it is, they really oversold it. This reads as a father losing his children forever. Not "Oh, they're being zapped somewhere else, better catch a cab to the big fight!" or whatever. So either this is the magic/chains being undone, or the kids being sent back to their own proper timeline/parents wherever Rabin plucked them from. Either way, Paul and MJ lose the kids forever and this changes everything.

That final panel of him shouting "Nooo!" (anyone else get Revenge of the Sith vibes?) feels to me like his mind snapping. The way it's drawn and written feels very purposefully evocative of that kinda moment. Now, obviously I'm not saying he's suddenly crazy and starts lobbing pumpkin bombs. I'm guessing Wells will develop his downfall through the next year.

I could see a scene where Paul has been keeping some secret from MJ, one she finally uncovers. If the kids ARE totem magic, maybe even if not, she finds him trying to recreate them with his own weird totem math magic BS. Finding half-formed twisted versions of their children. That would probably be the last straw for MJ (again assuming the romance isn't a lie/reality-warping) and her leaving would probably be the final nail in the coffin for his sanity. Pushing him over the edge and accepting Wayep's gifts to try and force his family back together, by any means.

Personally, I would prefer he not go down this road. Feels very cliche and way too obvious for his character arc. But that would totally fit with the rest of the run being a hot mess.

[Waldo]

Okay right now if we count beyond as the prologue of Wells run, he had used as his foes:
-Beyond Company
- Kafka/Queen Goblin
-Ben/Chasm
-Tombstone
-Vulture
-Hobgoblin
-Wayeb/Rabin
We know the next foes he will use from the solicits but which rogue will he use after the summer? I felt:
-Kraven from game synergy
-Vulture or hobgoblin to end those bad plotpoint he opened a year ago
-Rhino? He , Norman and Kraven are the only Dikto's foe that people can see as peter equal

[TinkerSpider]

Love all the speculating, but have we forgotten this is a run where character developments, if they happen, mostly occur off page with most of the information being given to us in recaps?

There are barely any supporting characters in the run. Kamala appeared literally a handful of times, Felicia as well, MJ and Paul not much better in arcs that weren’t specifically about them.

Also, this run has been breaking all sorts of rules of storytelling, choosing instead to try to spring a series of “gotcha!”s on readers instead of telling a coherent, cohesive story.

We know the next arc is a goofy (because McGuinness is on art) Doc Ock story, followed by the Tombstone/wedding story, followed by Kraven.

I highly doubt we’ll see much, if anything, of MJ and Paul for months after ASM 26. Because no one in this run is a fully fledged character and the plots are perfunctory at best; this run is just a collection of scenes designed to shock/anger fans and get them talking but there is absolutely nothing resembling an entertaining story with greater themes, resonance and exploration of the characters and their world on the page.

[Waldo]

There are barely any supporting characters in the run.

That's has been a problem since 2000 or even when JMD left ASM.
Even during JMS the supporting cast was May and MJ

[Xenon]

There's another leaked page, or, rather, partial page, on 4chan, but it's just Paul showing up, MJ asking about the kids and looking shocked. Norman has his mask off, so it appears to be the end of the fight. I am continually starting to wonder if Kamala's death is not the final page but like 70% of the way through. Feels like some people need to talk. The way Paul is holding his hand next to MJ's face makes it look like the panel right before the Kamala page.

That may have already been the thing he "told her". If that was the case.

If that leak is accurate I would assume this is the answer, yes.

Alright, so, what are chances that it's Paul's origin story as a villain, lol?
I can already imagine some kind of meta about fans who are celebrating that his life is ruined. It's too funny and ridiculous to ignore it, lol.

I would put the chances as low but not 0. If he is a villain it'll be that he always was one I would think. I dunno. Every continued use of paul makes me nervous if they're not going to make him gay, lol. =p

And it would explain why the kids had the last name Watson.

This doses add fuel to the fire, but I always saw that as MJ just taking ownership of them, and perhaps something to do with Paul not having any records. Especially since they are found and not made, not a lot of reason for them to have his last name.

I feel there's a good chance at Paul becoming a villain. He's already checked off 3 spaces in the Potental Future Villain Bingo card.

First, he's checked off "Taken a loved one from the hero" now obviously not in the usual sense of killing said loved one, but the 'romantic steal' is also considered pretty villainous. Now obviously Paul kinda gets a pass on this one since him and MJ were in another time, just the two of them, and as I've said raising kids helps you bond with someone real fast. I'm not really inferring he's a bad guy if MJ chose to be with him. Rather, what he did does carry a villainous connotation. Like a big ol' asterisk you can't ignore. Like, it's not technically cheating BUT*

Second, if he really is spoilers:

Rabin's son, then that's a pretty big red flag. If your parent is a super villain in the Marvel U, there's a 50/50 chance you end up breaking bad as well. It also gives Paul a greater tie to Wayep, which could have him becoming the next emissary down the line. I could see that being the end of Wells big plan, we think Wayep is out with this arc but Paul is his one way back.

end of spoilers

Third, that leaked page really reads like what's meant to be a serious tragic moment. It feels like it's the setup for Paul's tragic backstory. Raised these kids for years, then watches them 'die' before his eyes. One of the reasons I don't think it's teleportation, because if it is, they really oversold it. This reads as a father losing his children forever. Not "Oh, they're being zapped somewhere else, better catch a cab to the big fight!" or whatever. So either this is the magic/chains being undone, or the kids being sent back to their own proper timeline/parents wherever Rabin plucked them from. Either way, Paul and MJ lose the kids forever and this changes everything.

That final panel of him shouting "Nooo!" (anyone else get Revenge of the Sith vibes?) feels to me like his mind snapping. The way it's drawn and written feels very purposefully evocative of that kinda moment. Now, obviously I'm not saying he's suddenly crazy and starts lobbing pumpkin bombs. I'm guessing Wells will develop his downfall through the next year.

I could see a scene where Paul has been keeping some secret from MJ, one she finally uncovers. If the kids ARE totem magic, maybe even if not, she finds him trying to recreate them with his own weird totem math magic BS. Finding half-formed twisted versions of their children. That would probably be the last straw for MJ (again assuming the romance isn't a lie/reality-warping) and her leaving would probably be the final nail in the coffin for his sanity. Pushing him over the edge and accepting Wayep's gifts to try and force his family back together, by any means.

Personally, I would prefer he not go down this road. Feels very cliche and way too obvious for his character arc. But that would totally fit with the rest of the run being a hot mess.

I mean I guess it would fit with the run being a hot mess but it doesn't sound good. I really don't need a lot of Paul focus. I would be perfectly content with MJ dumpling him while she's away and him never appearing again.

Love all the speculating, but have we forgotten this is a run where character developments, if they happen, mostly occur off page with most of the information being given to us in recaps?

There are barely any supporting characters in the run. Kamala appeared literally a handful of times, Felicia as well, MJ and Paul not much better in arcs that weren’t specifically about them.

Also, this run has been breaking all sorts of rules of storytelling, choosing instead to try to spring a series of “gotcha!”s on readers instead of telling a coherent, cohesive story.

We know the next arc is a goofy (because McGuinness is on art) Doc Ock story, followed by the Tombstone/wedding story, followed by Kraven.

I highly doubt we’ll see much, if anything, of MJ and Paul for months after ASM 26. Because no one in this run is a fully fledged character and the plots are perfunctory at best; this run is just a collection of scenes designed to shock/anger fans and get them talking but there is absolutely nothing resembling an entertaining story with greater themes, resonance and exploration of the characters and their world on the page.

I've been assuming for a long time that MJ was out of the book for the next 2 or 3 months. After that I actually expect her back in some role. If rumors are true for Jackpot team ups to tease them getting back together, and if not for some rewritten issues to explain herself further (if Wells has been paying attention and realizes his istakes) or perhaps just with Paul again to try and stoke more outrage. But yeah, after this issue I think any chance of improvement goes away until at least September.

That's has been a problem since 2000 or even when JMD left ASM.
Even during JMS the supporting cast was May and MJ

Eh, JMS absolutely had that problem, though in exchange we got amazing MJ and May work. But there's been a lot of supporting cast for most of the rest of the time. There hasn't been a consistent set up nor anything like the Bugle in the old days, but there are people around him getting attention.

[Venomsaurus]

There's another leaked page, or, rather, partial page, on 4chan, but it's just Paul showing up, MJ asking about the kids and looking shocked. Norman has his mask off, so it appears to be the end of the fight. I am continually starting to wonder if Kamala's death is not the final page but like 70% of the way through. Feels like some people need to talk. The way Paul is holding his hand next to MJ's face makes it look like the panel right before the Kamala page.

I mean I guess it would fit with the run being a hot mess but it doesn't sound good. I really don't need a lot of Paul focus. I would be perfectly content with MJ dumpling him while she's away and him never appearing again.

I had not considered the Kamala page not being the last. It just has such Final Page energy to it. That would honestly make a lot more sense, and then include a bit more of the aftermath for MJ/possibly reveal anything larger going on. I kind of half expect a last page reveal if the kids aren't totem magic, we see them back with their original parents restored to their previous point in time. Which is something I would think MJ would be happy about. Sure, she'd be sad to lose them, but she'd understand that being with their actual parents is the best option.

I'm totally with you on not wanting the Paul villain/slow break up with MJ arc. I am firmly team "Just have him be a dude" or "gay bestie" both are wildly better options. Write him out with 26. Have him be a footnote in MJ's life that we move on from. Pretty, pretty please.

Best case scenario, we get the reveal the kids are fake/MJ's mind was tampered with. But Paul wasn't responsible and is just as much a victim as her, and they agree to split because there was nothing real between them. MJ apologizes to Peter and they finally start to heal.

Do I think that's what will happen? No, not really, I think Wells is gonna drag out the Paul/MJ stuff longer if he can, but I'm trying to hope this is it and Paul is gonezo from here.

[Lee]

As long as it's FMF and not MFM then we're on the good timeline.

Why? What difference does it make?

-Rhino? He , Norman and Kraven are the only Dikto's foe that people can see as peter equal

Rhino isn't a Ditko character.

[vhm74]

That's has been a problem since 2000 or even when JMD left ASM.
Even during JMS the supporting cast was May and MJ

Daily Bugle missing, Jonah almost non-existent, May sporadically, Venom is his own character and completely out of the comic, Teresa, Kaine... now we only need MJ to succeed as a superheroine to be left out of the regular cast. At least Slott tried something with Carlie, Horizon Labs, etc... They're leaving a character who, without his supporting cast, loses a big part of what made him interesting.

[Johnny]

So Bleeding Cool posted the "death" scene and I gotta say, Rabin has to be the worst villain in modern Spider-Man history.

spoilers:

Splits Peter/MJ, allegedly creates two magic kids to "chain" MJ to, keeps going after her for years to become a "god", but can't recognize a shapeshifter.

end of spoilers

Wells is just embarrassing.

[Venomsaurus]

So Bleeding Cool posted the "big twist" and I gotta say, Rabin has to be the worst villain in a modern Spider-Man story.

spoilers:

Splits Peter/MJ, allegedly creates two magic kids to "chain" MJ to, keeps going after her for years to become a "god", but can't recognize a shapeshifter.

end of spoilers

Wells is just embarrassing.

Just gave it a peak, hilarious stuff. Feels like a parody at this point.

It's kinda frustrating for me because honestly the death is the thing I care the least about. I want any substantial info on the MJ stuff, but everyone's talking about the death.